The plan to build the arena was created by then Blackhawks owner Bill
Wirtz and Bulls owner
Jerry Reinsdorf . The United Center's
predecessor was the
ChicagoChicago Stadium , the original "Madhouse on
Madison", which was demolished after the new arena opened for business
on August 18, 1994. The first-ever event at the
United CenterUnited Center was the
WWF event
SummerSlam (1994) . Due to the
1994–95 NHL lockout , the
Blackhawks did not move in until January 1995 .

The Bulls and Blackhawks operate the
United CenterUnited Center through the United
Center Joint Venture (UCJV), a 50/50 partnership of the two teams. It
covers 960,000 square feet (89,187 m2) and is located on a 46-acre (19
ha) parcel, west of the
ChicagoChicago Loop . The arena is the largest in
the United States in physical size, though not in capacity. Its
exterior bears a striking resemblance to that of
ChicagoChicago Stadium . It
seats 19,717 (not including standing room) for hockey, 20,917 (not
including standing room) for basketball and up to 23,500 for concerts
. The
United CenterUnited Center hosts over 200 events per year and has drawn over
20 million visitors since its opening. It is known for routinely
exceeding seating capacity for Bulls and Blackhawks games.

United Center's acoustics were designed to amplify the noise level in
order to replicate "The Roar" – the din of noise that made Chicago
Stadium famous, especially during hockey games. During hockey
season, an
Allen Organ that is a replica of the old arena's famous
Barton organ is used; recreating the old organ's notes took two years.

The building is 140 feet tall, and cost $175 million to build,
mainly consisting of concrete and 3,500 tons of steel. While the
Blackhawks and Bulls had long planned on getting another arena, issues
with both the real estate market and the early 1990s recession made
the project only take off once financing was provided by an
international syndicate, with funding by banks from Japan, Australia
and France. The planning had 216 luxury skyboxes, and as of the
2009–10 renovation, the arena has 169 executive suites on three
levels.

Both the
ChicagoChicago Blackhawks and the
ChicagoChicago Bulls play here during
their seasons with some of their games happening on back to back
nights. With this, the hardwood floor for the Bulls games is laid
across the top of the ice that the Blackhawks play on. The floor is
put together like a puzzle and taken apart when the Blackhawks have a
game.

EVENTS

SPORTS

In addition to 82 Bulls and Blackhawks games each year, the United
Center has hosted other sporting events such as University of Illinois
basketball , the Big Ten Men\'s
BasketballBasketball Tournament (from the first
tournament in 1998 to 2001, then in odd-numbered years from 2003 to
2007 and again in 2013 and 2015, the Men\'s NCAA Basketball
Tournament (hosted four times, including 2011), the Roundball Classic
, and the Great Eight Classic.

The arena was the Bulls' home during their second run of three
consecutive championships, hosting the 1996 , 1997 , and 1998 NBA
Finals . The Bulls won the 1996 and 1997 series in the sixth game at
home, but won the 1998 series at the Delta Center, now known as Vivint
Smart Home Arena , in
Salt Lake CitySalt Lake City ,
UtahUtah .

The
United CenterUnited Center was also the site of the World Wrestling Federation
pay-per-view SummerSlam in 1994 – the first major event held inside
the building, and also the only major event held in the building by
WWE. It also hosted the last of
World Championship Wrestling 's
annual Spring Stampede pay-per-view in 2000.

The arena has hosted the
Stanley CupStanley Cup Finals three times: in 2010 ,
2013 , and 2015 . The Blackhawks won the first two Stanley Cups on the
ice of their opponent in the sixth game of the series (Philadelphia 's
Wachovia Center in 2010 and Boston 's
TD GardenTD Garden in 2013). However,
they won the 2015 series against the
Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay Lightning at home in
the sixth game, the first time since 1938 the Hawks clinched the Cup
in Chicago. The United Center's configuration for Blackhawks
hockey games.

On the weekend of March 5–6, 2011, the Professional Bull Riders
made their
Built Ford Tough Series debut at the United Center. It was
their third Chicago-area visit, having previously visited Rosemont 's
Allstate ArenaAllstate Arena in 2006 and 2008. The event at the United Center
presented a unique scenario as instead of dirt, white crushed stone
was used to cover the arena floor.

The
United CenterUnited Center has also provided a
ChicagoChicago home for the Ringling
Bros. and Barnum the Bulls and Blackhawks have a tradition of taking a
two-week road trip when the circus is in town. Television events

On May 17, 2011, Oprah The Farewell Season: Oprah's Surprise
Spectacular was taped at the United Center. The program aired on
television on May 23 and 24, 2011. Pictures from the event are
displayed inside the arena entrance on the wall of Gate 4.

POLITICAL EVENTS

The
United CenterUnited Center was also the venue of the 1996 Democratic National
Convention , where the Democratic Party nominated as its presidential
and vice-presidential candidates
Bill ClintonBill Clinton and
Al GoreAl Gore , the
incumbent holders of the respective offices, who would be re-elected
as a result of the general election held that November .

RENOVATIONS

300 LEVEL

One of the two former "Madhouse" signs of the UC before it was
taken down after the 2012–13 season.

New for the 2009–10 season, the United Center’s 300 Level
features a renovated concourse with 144 flat screen televisions, new
food and beverage stations above select seating sections and two new
bars that open up to panoramic views of the arena. During the 2010
off-season, two additional bars with panoramic views of the arena were
added along with the other two. After the 2012–13 season, a third
panoramic LED bar was installed around the 300 level, replacing the
famous "Welcome To The Madhouse" signs.

* A variety of new menu items provided by the United Center’s new
food and beverage provider, Levy Restaurants.
* A new concession stand and seating area located in Section 326
called “Backstage. ”This area replicates the atmosphere of being
backstage at a
United CenterUnited Center concert and will include photos of music
acts that played at the
United CenterUnited Center along with a specialized menu
from Levy Restaurants.
* New concession stands and bars located at the top of the 300 Level
on the north side of the arena to provide fans sitting in that area
with easy access to food and beverage service.
* Two new novelty areas carrying merchandise unique to "The Madhouse
on Madison".
* New concourse food stations with increased seating.
* New video systems featuring photography, video and animation on
the concourse walls which will create images and specialized
programming for each individual event.

HARDWOOD FLOOR

A new court was added to the UC for the 2015–16 season and includes
multiple changes. The iconic bull head logo at center court has
increased in size by 75% and the image of a basketball that was
previously behind the logo has been removed. The “CHICAGO BULLS”
text on the endlines has been changed to the font used in the official
Bulls logo to make the court design more consistent with the Bulls
brand, and the same font has been applied to the “Bulls.com” and
the “@ChicagoBulls” text on the north apron of the court. The
lines on the court have been changed from red and white to all black
to emphasize the bold colors of the Bulls brand. The four stars from
the City of
ChicagoChicago flag have been added to the south apron of the
court to highlight the team's civic pride and incorporate the
“
ChicagoChicago Basketball” branding campaign.

BANNERS

Just before Game 2 of the
2013 Stanley Cup Finals at the United
Center between the Hawks and the Boston Bruins. The United
Center's LED lighting.

The following banners hang from the rafters of the United Center
honoring past and present Bulls and Blackhawks.

United Center's former logo, used until September 2011. The logo
was changed to the current one to reflect United Airlines' own logo
change as part of their merge with
Continental AirlinesContinental Airlines .

United AirlinesUnited Airlines paid about $1.8 million per year until 2014 for its
naming rights . United merged with
Continental AirlinesContinental Airlines in October
2010, retaining the former's name, as well as the latter's logo and
corporate look. The arena continued to use United's tulip logo for the
duration of the 2010–11 season. For the 2011–12 season, all the
previous United signs were replaced with the new globe logo. Two new
lit signs on the east and west ends of the arena saying "United
Center" with the United globe in the middle were revealed below the
upper level suites complimenting the former "Madhouse" signs on the
north and south sides.

In December 2013, it was announced that an agreement had been reached
to keep United's naming rights for the arena for another 20 years. The
United CenterUnited Center will see a series of updates and upgrades to the
interior and exterior of the building. New signage, additional LED
boards, and other elements have been added after reaching this
agreement. LED screens have been installed on the north side of the
arena along with a panoramic LED board on the 300 level, eliminating
the "Welcome To The Madhouse" sign.